Biography

Wand earned his B.S. in Political Science from Portland State University in 1997 and his J.D. from Northwest School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 2000. His professional experience includes working as an attorney.

Committee assignments

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Wand served on these committees:

Issues

Campaign themes

Wand's campaign website listed several main issues:

Jobs: "It is critical that our elected representative make certain that the climate for new long-term, family-wage jobs is strong. Higher taxes, more regulations preventing additional industrial construction, and taxes on gross receipts all hamper jobs growth. Virtually every decision made in government should be viewed through a prism regarding whether it will help or hamper jobs growth, and no actions should be taken that hamper jobs growth at this time."

Fix the Economy: "In addition, the legislature should embark on a top-to-bottom review over the next few years, and compare our legislative framework with the state laws in other states that are not experiencing one of the highest statewide unemployment rates in the country. When the rest of the country is talking about Oregon’s new cooperative attitude towards business development, then we will know we are on the right track."

Tax Policy: "Taxes change behavior. That fundamental principle will guide my thoughts on tax policy. A tax on gross receipts (even disguised as an alternate minimum tax), drives businesses with high costs of goods sold out of the state (such as manufacturing and car sales)..."

Small Business: "Our small business owners are struggling with Oregon’s tax code, with the loss of customers as businesses and customers have lost income and stopped purchasing goods and services. It is a downward spiral. It is not enough to say that the higher taxes are directed only at very large businesses. Large businesses often are the largest customers of small businesses."

Education Spending: "Education is our highest budget priority, and should never be held hostage to tax increases, or anything else... I support charter schools, sufficient education spending to make certain our schools are excellent, but also tied to demonstrable performance to make sure that schools and districts that are failing are held accountable. Accountability is the key to making certain that our tax dollars are well spent, and that will also increase community support for education because our schools’ credibility will be enhanced."

Measure 11: "As the victim of a serious felony, a measure 11 offense, I support Measure 11 mandatory minimum sentencing because it gave me the comfort of certainty regarding the punishment that society believed was proper for the offense. There was no chance that a judge having a bad day could break faith with society in favor of a personal preference...If the criminal justice system focuses on rehabilitation to the exclusion of punishment, it reduces respect for the rule of law, and encourages first-time criminals."